The FDA Authorization bill approved recently by the Senate includes a provision by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., that will require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the use of carbon monoxide to alter the color of meat, potentially making it appear fresh long after its expiration date. Levin has argued that this procedure deceives consumers and conflicts with the FDA’s policies against products that alter the coloration of meat.

“The FDA has had long-standing rules against color alteration of meats but, inexplicably, it allows pre-packaged meat to be treated with carbon monoxide, even when the only purpose of adding carbon monoxide is to make the color mimic fresh red meat,” Levin said. “Consumers rely on meat color in determining its freshness, and the industry knows this. Using carbon monoxide to artificially keep meat looking fresh after it has spoiled deceives American consumers and raises serious public health concerns since the consumers can no longer rely on the way the meat looks to indicate its freshness.”

Levin’s amendment requires the FDA to issue a report within 90 days on whether substances used to preserve the appearance of fresh meat create health risks or mislead consumers.

Experiments with treated and untreated packages of beef have compared how they age under refrigeration. After the expiration date, untreated meat begins to turn brown, while meat was still rosy pink if treated with carbon monoxide. Even though the treated beef looked fresh, it was in fact contaminated with E. coli bacterium and salmonella.

“Pre-packaged beef should not be treated with carbon monoxide, but at a minimum, meat that has been treated with carbon monoxide should be clearly labeled so that consumers know what they are buying,” said Levin.